Monthly Archives: September 2014

In spring of 2014, the Harford County Historic Preservation Commission honored the Friends of Jerusalem Mill (FOJM) with a Preservation Stewardship award for 30 years of “outstanding effort and intent toward the maintenance and preservation of an historic property, structure and/or site in Harford County over an extended period of time.”

Anyone who visits Jerusalem Mill Village during our regular weekend living history programs, summer concerts, and special events, or even when Nature is the only thing going on, can see the results of that outstanding effort. But they may not realize that it takes hundreds of pairs of hands, thousands of hours of planning, and tens of thousands of fundraised dollars annually to turn intent into reality. Here’s the best part—everything our visitors see and enjoy is accomplished by volunteers.

Joan Scovill, one of our devoted longtime volunteers, received the Commission’s Special Preservation Award for “her efforts to promote education and public history at the Historic Jerusalem Mill Village.” The Maryland General Assembly also added their “sincerest congratulations…in recognition of receiving the 2014 Special Preservation Award…”

But wait, there’s more! In August, Joan received a Governor’s Volunteer Service Certificate for “appreciation of your efforts to ensure the vitality of the community in which you volunteer, your contributions to the citizens of Maryland, and your support of Maryland’s longstanding tradition of community involvement.”

The descriptions of Joan’s work are necessarily brief, but if we assigned a dollar value to everything she does for FOJM, we’d easily prove that she’s worth a million. In fact, that’s how we feel about all of our volunteers, regardless of their level of commitment. It all adds up!

Oh, wait, there’s more! FOJM received a Governor’s Volunteer Service Certificate for years of participation in the Adopt-A-Highway Program. Maybe you’ve seen our signs along Route 152 near Jerusalem Road. Our next Adopt-A-Highway pickup happens in October. Call 410-877-0080 if you want to join our group of intrepid trash picker-uppers. It’s fun!